


Like We Got Love

by Hockey_3720



Series: Sitting on Top of The World [2]
Category: National Football League RPF
Genre: M/M, Mention of miscarraige, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-08
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2019-03-28 10:55:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13902552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hockey_3720/pseuds/Hockey_3720
Summary: “Hey babe,” Julian said back. “You’re really looking good.” He began to rub his thumb over Danny’s protruding abdomen, right over his belly button.Danny rolled his eyes but smiled a bit. “Yeah, I woke up this morning… And my muscles like gave out on me I guess,” Danny informed as he blinked sleepily.“I like it,” Julian responded as he leaned in and placed another kiss at the corner of Danny’s mouth.“Do you?” Danny asked as he looked down at Julian’s hand on his almost too tight shirt. Julian nodded once Danny’s brown eyes looked back up at him. “I’m going to need new clothes soon. I tried on like three different shirts before I settled on this one… And don’t even get me started on jeans. They fucking fit me yesterday, a little snug… But today… they wouldn’t even button.”





	Like We Got Love

**Author's Note:**

> This took WAY longer than I wanted to, so I'm sorry.

“Jules,” Danny said as he looked over at Julian with his dark eyebrows raised.

Julian put his phone down and repositioned himself, so he could be looking straight at Danny. “Yeah, Bubs,” Julian asked as his blue eyes studied the nervous look on Danny’s tanned face.

“I… I don’t want to retire yet,” Danny mumbled as a small sigh left his lips. Julian nodded slowly, confusion painting his face. “But… I want to have another kid. I have a few years left in me before I retire, but I don’t know if it’d be safe for me to be having a child after 37 or so.”

Julian nodded slowly. “I-I know where you’re coming from. I think Bradley could use another sibling, too. My only worry is is how are we going to deal with two kids under two years old,” Julian wondered as he leaned over and grabbed Danny’s hand.

Danny grasped it back. “I agree, Jules… but… I think it’s in our best interest if we start to try soon. Anything could happen in a game that could cause me to not… you know…” He trailed off, not wanting to say the rest of what was on his mind.

“Okay, yeah. I agree. Make an appointment with Ashley so we can check to make sure everything is in check,” Julian whispered as he brought Danny’s hand up to his mouth and placed a kiss on the back of it.

Danny smirked at Julian and shook his head. “Good thing you said yes, because I already scheduled an appointment with her for tomorrow morning,” Danny informed with a small chuckle.

Julian rolled his eyes and swiftly moved so he was straddling Danny and looking into the chocolatey brown eyes that he's always loved. “Did you really, Bubs,” Julian quizzed as he placed both hands on Danny’s muscular chest.

“Of course I did.” Danny was smiling up at him with an amused look on his face. Julian shook his head in amusement.

“I love you so much,” Julian whispered as he lowered himself to place a kiss on Danny’s soft lips.

Danny brought his hands up to Julian’s hips and grasped him. “I love you too, Jules. Thank you for being so understanding. I’m glad you’re agreeing,” Danny thanked as he pulled away and smiled up at Julian with a twinkle in his deep brown eyes.

“Just,” Julian connected their lips again and then slowly moved away so they could look each other in the eyes again, “Don’t complain to me about being pregnant. It’s terrible. I love that kid in the other room… But… God no. I could never go through that again.”

Danny’s face screwed up with amusement. “You can’t even complain, Jules. Yes, you were pregnant… But fuck-- you didn’t know for five of the nine months… And what were the side effects you had? Fucking swollen ankles? Not to mention you wouldn’t let me fucking touch you,” Danny exclaimed as he dug his fingers deeper into Julian’s side.

Julian rolled his blue eyes at Danny and smirked a bit. “It was so terrible! And I was showing a bit! Also, I was self-conscious! I couldn’t control that,” Julian argued as he leaned down and rested his forehead on Danny’s.

Danny sighed and moved his arms so they were behind Julian’s neck. “You won’t have to worry about me not wanting to be touched, Jules,” Danny informed as he closed the small gap between their lips.

“Good, because I don’t think I’ll have the self-control that you did,” Julian whispered and let all of his weight fall on Danny as he began sucking at Danny’s neck.

“Fuck,” Danny groaned as he arched his back, “I fucking love you.”

***

“Hello Julian, Danny,” Ashley greeted bright and early the next morning when the two men shuffled into the examination room.

“Hey Ashley,” both men said at the same time as Danny sat up on the examination bed and Julian sat in the chair next to it.

“How is Bradley? He has to be… What? A year and a half old now,” she asked as she rolled her chair over so she could face the couple.

In the year and three months that they hadn’t seen her, she didn’t seem to age a day.

“He’s a year and three months, actually,” Julian was the first to speak up as he reached over and grasped Danny’s hand with his. He knew what it was like to be on the examination table, exposed, so he was naturally a little nervous for Danny.

She smiled and leaned back in her chair. “Ah, I hope he’s doing well,” Ashley said with a smile.

“Yeah, he’s doing great,” Danny informed as he shot her a smile in return. “He’s already got quite a few teeth and has been able to say words for a few months now.”

“That’s great to hear! Okay, now what are we here for today,” she asked as she leaned back to grab a clipboard off her desk. “Have you been trying for another one? Or is that to be determined based on what happens today?” 

“We’re ready for another one… And I wanted to make sure that my… er… Internal situation was all good,” Danny told her as he raised both his eyebrows.

“Okay, yeah. We can definitely do that. I’m going to need you to lay back and pull up your shirt… And move your waistband down a bit for me.”

Danny obliged and looked over at Julian. Julian gave him a reassuring smile as he rejoined hands with his boyfriend.

“Okay, this is going to feel cold,” she notified as she pulled out a bottle of gel and squirted it onto his abdomen. He didn’t flinch, like a pro. She then brought out the wand and began spreading the substance across his tanned skin. After a few seconds, she furrowed her eyebrows at the screen and then leaned in to look closer at the screen.

Both Danny and Julian looked at each other as she examined the screen. Both of their heartbeats began going fast-- was something wrong?

After a minute she sighed and tore her eyes from the screen to look at the two, now very scared men. “Are… Danny, are you aware that you’ve conceived in the past year?”

Danny and Julian looked at each other before they looked back at her, bewilderment covering both of their faces. “Uh what,” Danny was the first one to respond.

“I’ll take that as a no… I mean… It won’t affect a future pregnancy… But… It may mean you have a higher probability of a miscarriage. I can tell from your uterine wall that the embryo wasn't there for long,” she told them as her green eyes showed an apologetic look.

“I-I… Oh god,” Danny exclaimed as he closed his eyes and yanked his hand up from Julian’s and rubbed his face. How the fuck?

“Listen, I know this is a lot to take in. But… If it makes it any better, you should have no problem conceiving… You just need to watch alcohol intake, eat healthy, and not push your body too hard. It may have been stuff like that that forced the miscarriage,” Ashley pointed out as she took the wand off of Danny and wiped it off before she handed Danny a towel to wipe the gel off of himself.

Danny was nearly paralyzed so Julian grabbed it for him and began to wipe the gel off Danny’s abs. “Oh god,” Danny repeated as he opened his eyes wide and then squinted them shut.

“Now, I don’t know if this changes things… But if you chose to try to conceive, I’d like to see you in two months to either confirm a pregnancy or see where we should go from there to ensure you conceive,” Ashley asserted as she moved to stand up. She placed a hand on Danny’s knee in reassurance. “You’ll be fine, Danny. The chances are slim that you’ll miscarry. And by the looks of it, I believe you’re ovulating… So this is the perfect time to try and conceive.” She gave him a small smile as he opened his brown eyes and nodded slowly, still unable to speak.

“Thank you, Ashley,” Julian thanked for the two of them before she slowly walked out of the room.

Neither of them spoke to each other until Julian shifted the car into park in their garage. “Danny.” Danny didn’t even flinch-- just looked down at his hands in his lap. “Dola,” Julian sighed and reached over to grab Danny’s left hand, “please say something.”

Danny let out a sigh and squeezed Julian’s hand in return. “I just… I mean… It’s a good thing,” Danny admitted in a broken voice. “I feel like shit for thinking of it that way. We could never have dealt with another baby when Brad was still under a year and a half old.”

“I agree, Dola. But… But now… We just need to focus on what we’re doing now. I have a feeling that it was during the playoffs,” Julian whispered. “I mean… Remember how you were more tired than normal? I mean…”

“Yeah,” Danny replied, “I know exactly what you mean… We push ourselves harder then… And I was probably pushing my body too far.”

“Well,” Julian grabbed Danny’s hand and brought it up to his mouth to place a kiss, “we’ll just make sure there's only one way that we work your body too hard… And that’s in bed.” Julian now had a large smirk playing on his lips.

Danny chuckled and rolled his eyes at Jules’ horniness. “I agree, Babe. But, I don’t think we can start right now… Rob should be back any minute with Brad.”

Julian rolled his eyes at Danny. “Nah, I told him to wait until I text him, because I knew we’d have a session,” Julian joked and shot Danny a wink.

“You’re lucky I trust Rob,” Danny commented as a smirk made its way to his lips. “You’re also lucky I love you.”

“Yeah, I am,” Julian commented as he moved his hand to Danny’s knee and squeezed it. “Now let’s get to baby making!”

A few hours and many rounds later, Julian was fast asleep while Danny was awake, just barely, as his body calmed itself down. He looked over at Julian’s sleeping figure and smiled. “Jules,” Danny whispered as he got on his elbows and raised himself so he could be looking down at his boyfriend. “Jules?” He put all of his weight on one elbow and placed his other hand on Julian’s bare stomach. “Babe?”

Julian’s breathing pattern changed but his eyes didn’t open. “What,” he questioned after a second, sleep laced in his voice.

“We need to get up so Rob can bring Brad back,” Danny informed as he raised his eyebrows at the closed-eyed man.

“Ugh,” Julian let out as he opened his blue eyes to look at Danny. “I guess you’re right. Why’d be go for as long as we did? I’m so tired, Bubs.”

Danny chuckled a bit. “I know, babe, I am too. But I mean we’ve decided that we want another one… So it’s the price we’ve got to pay,” Danny replied as he smiled a bit. Even if he was worn out, he could never get tired of having making love with Julian, and he knew Julian felt the same way.

Julian moved his right hand up and ran it through Danny’s dark, sweaty hair. “Yeah, yeah. Now, we’ve gotta take a shower cuz you know Rob won’t let us hear the end of it if he sees you with that sex hair... What time is it,” Julian questioned as he turned his head to look at the alarm clock on the side of the bed. “Ugh. Already one? Fuck… I’ll tell Rob he can bring Brad at 2:30.”

Danny sighed and leaned into Julian’s touch. “Yeah, I know. Let's go shower now,” he moved away and untangled himself from the sheets. Julian, slowly but surely, followed suit and shuffled after Danny into the bathroom after he texted Rob. Danny started the water and stepped into the shower, Julian slid in behind him.

Julian pulled Danny’s back against him as he began to suck at Danny’s neck. “Ugh. Babe, again,” Danny whined as he closed his eyes and sucked in a breath. He could feel Julian smile against his skin. “You’re insane.” Danny groaned as he felt Julian’s hard-on pressing against him. The four-minute nap clearly did something for Julian.

“I-I can’t stop myself,” Julian whispered as he unlatched himself from Danny’s neck. “Unprotected… Baby making sex is the best sex I’ve ever had, Dola.” Danny’s eyes practically rolled backward in his head as Julian pushed him against the wall.

“Just do it, Jules. I’m not gonna last long,” Danny mumbled, already out of breath. Julian let go of Danny and turned him around, so they could face each other. Danny’s brown eyes slowly opened to meet with Julian’s hungry eyes.

Julian lifted Danny quickly and slowly let Danny slide onto him. “Ah fuck,” Danny groaned as he sucked in a breath. “I’m so sore. Move Jules.”

“I can’t.” Julian’s voice was dangerously low. “That’s all you babe.”

“Ugh, I hate you,” Danny groaned as he placed his hands on Julian’s shoulders and began to move up and down.

“You love me,” Julian grunted out as he closed his eyes. “Oh god. Dola… I’m… I’m not gonna last… Oh god.” Julian released involuntarily.

“Ugh,” Danny groaned out as he threw his head back, released all over Julian’s stomach, and stopped moving. He took a few breaths before he leaned his head forward and it was resting on top of Julian’s. “Oh, Jules.” Danny officially felt dead to the world, didn’t want to move an inch.

Julian smiled a sleepy smile. “If we haven’t made a baby yet… Then I think we’re in trouble. You have no clue how much I love unprotected sex,” Julian mumbled as he lifted Danny off of him and wrapped his arms around his still out of breath boyfriend. “Don’t think we will, though. We both have conceived with protection.” 

Danny’s eyes fell closed as Julian held him up against the wall. “I’m so fucking tired,” Danny admitted into Julian’s wet skin.

Julian nodded silently as he reached over and moved the shower head so it was spraying on them. Next, he leaned over and grabbed the shampoo. He squirted it into his hands ran some through his hair first, then into Danny’s dark hair. Danny leaned into his touch as his muscles began to untense.

“I love you so much,” Julian whispered as he slightly tilted Danny’s head further into the water stream. Danny stayed silent, without a doubt more than half asleep. When Julian finished cleaning the two of them up he placed his right hand on Danny’s scruffy cheek. “Bubs, you’ve gotta stay awake long enough to get out of the shower.”

Danny sighed and slowly opened his brown eyes. Julian almost felt bad because of the amount of tiredness that was present in them. “I need sleep. I need Tylenol.”

Julian sighed as he reached over and turned off the water. “Just… Just help me by getting out of the shower and drying off. I’ll put your boxers on and carry you into the guestroom,” Julian offered in a sincere tone.

“I-I… Okay,” Danny sounded so weak. Julian backed away and Danny pushed himself off the wall. The two men got out of the shower and dried off together. Danny even went above and beyond Julian’s expectations, he put on his own boxers before Julian gave him some Tylenol.

Danny leaned up against the wall as he watched Julian pull a shirt over his head through half opened eyes. “You going to carry me to the guest bed or what,” Danny whined after a minute as he blinked slowly.

Julian rolled his eyes and nodded. He made his way over to the dark haired man and picked him up. Danny rested his head on Julian’s shoulder and closed his eyes. “You’re so warm,” Danny mumbled into Julian’s red shirt.

“You’re gonna be out like the rest of the day, huh,” Julian asked into Danny’s still wet hair.

Danny hummed in agreement. Julian entered the guest room and set Danny down at the very end of the bed so he could pull back the covers. Once he did, he dragged Danny into the spot where he had just pulled the covers back. Danny fell back into the green fluffy pillow with his eyes still closed as Julian pulled the covers up to his chin. “I love you,” Julian whispered as he leaned down and placed a small kiss on Danny’s forehead. “I’ll wake you up for dinner.” 

Danny was already asleep. Julian sighed and stood straight up again before he shuffled over to the window and pulled the shades closed, so Danny could stay asleep and the daylight wouldn’t bother him. Then Julian walked out of the room, making sure to close the door quietly.

As Julian began to take the sheets off their bed, he couldn’t help but think about having another baby around the house. Yes, when he found out he was pregnant with Brad, he didn’t want anything to do with ‘the thing growing inside him’, but once Brad was there… He fell in love at first sight. He realized that Brad was a gift from above and that he’d do anything for the beautiful dark haired blue eyed boy. Julian shook his head at the thought of himself being pregnant, as much as he loves Brad, he would never go through with it again.

Once Julian was done making the bed he sat down on the edge and looked over at the clock on the bedside table--1:50-- Brad and Rob wouldn’t be there for at least another half hour. He smiled as he leaned back on the bed and thought about the morning and afternoon events. He couldn’t help but blush at the thought of Danny carrying a baby, his baby. The thought of Danny relying on him toward the end, especially, made his heart swell.

One thing that Julian found himself hoping for was that Danny’s journey wouldn’t be anything like his. He really hoped that Danny would show throughout the whole thing, that he’d get all needy and he’d let Julian touch him. Julian sighed at the memory of him being so greedy, he didn’t want to be on the other side of what he had done to Danny. The truth was, at the time he felt it was so right to be the way he acted, but as time went on he regretted being as stubborn as he was because he kind of deprived Danny of something he’d only get to experience once— and that was being the non-carrier.

Jules shook his head and stood up from the bed so he could head downstairs and possibly find a snack. When he got down there he looked around and noticed the array of toys on the living room floor. For a second he debated on cleaning it up, but quickly decided against it because he knew Bradley would instantly bring all of the toys out again.

Just as Julian was about to move into the kitchen, he heard a car door, and another a few seconds later. He swiftly moved over to the door and pulled it opened before the doorbell could be rung. Rob was walking up to the door with a smiling Bradley in his arms. “Daddy,” Bradley called and held his arms out.

“Hey there, bud,” Julian exclaimed as he held his arms out for Brad.

Rob easily shifted him over to Julian. “Hey, Jules! He was great this morning! Didn’t wake up until seven, and he even took a nap at noon,” Rob greeted with a smile on his own face.

“That’s great,” Julian informed as he carried Brad inside while Rob followed him. “Did you have fun with Uncle Rob?”

“Yeah,” Bradley said with a giggle.

“Where’s Dola,” Rob asked as the two of them sat down at the kitchen island and looked around for the short dark haired man.

Julian sighed as he rested Bradley on his lap. “Sleeping. We uh… We’re both a little tired after today,” Julian confessed as he bounced Brad on his lap.

“Oh,” Rob shot back with a cheeky smile. “I take it that everything was good with the doctor then?”

“Yeah,” Julian trailed off. “I-I mean… And don’t tell anyone this… But the first thing doc pointed out was that Danny had conceived within the past year… We were both shocked. It-It must have been during the playoffs… He was working his body so hard… I think that was the reason for a miscarry.”

Rob nodded. “That… That makes sense… But that still sucks,” Rob commented, “How’d he feel about that.”

“Well, we were both shocked… But… I mean,” Julian paused and took a deep breath as he ran his hands through Bradley’s dark hair, “we both agreed it was probably for the better. We are probably better off if Brad is older-- hopefully at least two years old by the time the new baby is here.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Rob agreed. “Will you guys have a problem with conceiving since he miscarried?”

Jules shook his head. “He shouldn’t. Doc said to make an appointment in two months no matter what and we can see where we can go from there,” Julian informed with a shrug. Rob nodded.

Within the next half hour, Rob was out the door, which left Julian and Bradley to have some bonding time to themselves. “Where’s Papà,” Bradley questioned as Julian sat the two of them down on the couch to watch a movie.

“Sleeping, bud. Papà is very tired,” Julian informed as he looked down at his son. Bradley had Danny’s small lips and Julian’s nose, the perfect mix of his parents.

Brad looked up at Julian, probably only understanding that Danny was sleeping. Julian sighed and smiled, Bradley was growing up way too fast.

The next two and a half months practically flew by. Before Danny and Julian knew it, Brad was already 17 months old and it was time for Danny’s appointment with Ashley. Unfortunately, the couple had to bring Bradley along with them to the appointment because no one was available and not many people knew that the couple was trying for another baby.

When they walked in, Julian had a very tired Bradley resting on his hip and Danny was walking in front, his heart pounding from the nerves. Danny was scared to take an at home test in fear of what it’d say. The two had been fucking like rabbits for the past two months. Danny was also nervous about the fact that he had a slightly higher risk of miscarriage.

“Danny, no matter what we’ll be able to make it through. If we haven't conceived yet, we will eventually and if we can’t naturally… Then we’ll find a way,” Julian assured as the two of them sat in the car in the parking lot at the doctors.

Danny sighed and nodded, but couldn’t help but feel even more nervous with every step that they took closer to Ashley’s office. 

“Hey Danny, hey Jules,” Ashley greeted before she turned around. Once she did, she saw Bradley resting his head on Julian’s shoulder. “And this must be Bradley!”

Brad hid his face in Julian’s shoulder and Julian placed his hand on Brad’s back, to comfort him. “He’s a little shy,” Danny commented as he sat up on the examination table.

“Can you say ‘hi’ to Ashley,” Julian asked as he looked down into Brad’s blue eyes. Brad shook his head, still not looking toward the doctor. Julian chuckled.

“He’s gotten so big,” Ashley commented as she watched Julian settle the young boy in his lap. “He looks like both of you!”

The two men nodded. “Yeah, he does,” Julian agreed as Ashley leaned down and grabbed the gel from the cart. Danny was already leaning back with his shirt pulled up.

“Alright. Now, how have you been feeling lately, Danny,” Ashley asked as she began spreading the gel over Danny’s abdomen.

Danny shrugged as Julian reached up his free hand to grab his. “I’ve felt fine, but a little tired. I’ve been participating in some practices and such, I’m just under no contact restrictions and obviously won't be in any preseason games,” Danny informed as he sucked in a nervous breath.

“That’s good,” Ashley told him as her eyes focused on the screen in front of her. “Especially,” she turned the screen toward the couple, “since you are eight weeks and two or three days along.”

Danny’s brown eyes opened wide as he looked at the screen and held Julian’s hand tighter. “Oh my god, Jules.”

Julian nodded. “Th-that’s… Oh my god,” Julian whispered as he looked down at the clueless child in his lap. He leaned down and kissed Brad’s forehead. “You see right there bud,” Julian pointed toward the screen where the small figure was, “That is going to be your new sibling! You’re going to be a big brother!”

Bradley didn’t understand Julian, just looked up at Julian and began to wipe his tears away with his small hands. “Why? Cry?” Julian sniffled and turned his attention over to Danny. “Bubs, oh my god,” he mumbled as he stood up, moved Brad to the side and smashed his lips into Danny’s.

Danny looked up at the two with watery eyes and motioned for Bradley. Julian leaned Brad over and whispered, “Kiss Papà.” Brad placed a kiss on Danny’s cheek.

Soon enough Jules and Brad settled in the chair again. “Congratulations,” Ashley commented as she smiled at the three. “Now, how about we calculate a due date,” she asked as she raised an eyebrow.

The two men nodded, they knew enough to calculate that it was somewhere around Brad’s birthday. “Okay, today is September 7th… your date of conception looks to be July 3rd… So we are looking at a due date of March 28th. Now, remember… Usually, most men carry past their due date… So we could potentially be looking at a possible April birth,” she reminded as she looked at the two.

Danny nodded as he wiped at his wet, brown, eyes. “Okay… And still, recommend a c-section,” Danny asked as he continued to stare at the screen where his and Jules’ baby was being presented.

Ashley nodded. “Yep, it’s still the safest way… Now before you go, I’ll print a few pictures of the ultrasound… And I’ll also be giving you brochures to read about what you’re going to need to do and not do… I’ll also be providing you with some medication, because we’re catching your pregnancy sooner than we caught Julian’s. Also, I will also remind you, every pregnancy is different and it honestly was a fluke that Julian here,” she nodded to Julian with a small smile on her lips, “didn’t show at all let alone have symptoms like throwing up and weird cravings.”

The two nodded. “I was a freaking pro,” Julian commented with a cheeky smile as he looked at Danny.

Danny rolled his eyes. “Yeah, a freaking crabby and self-conscious pro who was just dealt good cards,” Danny shot back with his own smile.

Julian chuckled and rolled his eyes in return.

When it was time to leave Danny requested to carry Brad. As they walked through the halls Danny held Bradley as close to him as possible. “I love you, bud,” Danny told Brad as he looked into the eyes that were just like Julian’s. Brad did nothing but smile brightly in return— clearly not understanding the significance of the day's events.

Julian smiled over at the two and grabbed Danny’s free hand. “I-I can’t believe this,” Julian commented as they walked out and the sticky summer air hit their skin.

“I know, Jules. This is just… I’m so happy,” Danny commented as he looked over at Jules with watery eyes.

“I am too, Dola. I am too,” Julian replied as they got to the car. At this very moment, life couldn’t get any better. Julian slid into the driver’s seat and put the pamphlets and ultrasound pictures into the center console.

“When do you want to tell everyone,” Danny asked as he ducked into the car and buckled Bradley into his seat. Then he moved into the passenger seat, next to Julian. The two joined hands as Julian pulled forward.

“I don’t know… We should probably wait… I mean the biggest risk lasts until about three months… So maybe at three and a half? Four? I mean… Some of the guys and management have to know… But… Yeah,” Julian informed as he pulled out onto the street.

Danny nodded. “Yeah, I agree. I know exactly what you mean. Okay, obviously we will have to tell Rob because he’s been on our asses for two months now,” Danny replied as he rolled his eyes at the thought of Rob nagging them non-stop.

“Okay. And should we officially tell the front office and coach tomorrow at practice,” Julian questioned as he merged on to the highway.

Danny shrugged. “I mean… yeah… That’s fine… We should tell our family’s tonight… Probably,” Danny added as he let out a sigh and placed a hand on his still flat and muscular torso.

Julian smiled as he looked down where Danny’s hand was. “This is so great, Bubs. I-I… God, I love you. I’m so glad that we were able to do this,” Julian told Danny, passion soaking in his voice.

“Me too… I love you,” Danny responded with a large smile on his face.

“So, I guess both of our parents are pretty excited,” Julian noted aloud as he walked into the bedroom from the bathroom later that night.

“Yeah, they really are… Aren’t they? I mean how couldn’t they be? They all love Bradley,” Danny replied from the bed as he watched Julian walk over and strip down to his underwear.

“That’s true,” Julian told Danny as he slid in and turned on his side so he was looking directly at Danny. “Honestly, I don’t think life could get any better right now.”

Danny nodded as he leaned over and grabbed Julian’s hand so he could place it over his abs. They smiled at each other's warmness. “I-I can’t believe there’s a baby in there,” Julian whispered as he moved so his face was closer to the tanned skin hugging Danny’s torso. He began to move his thumb back and forth.

“Now… Now you know how I felt,” Danny informed as he placed his hand on Julian’s.

Julian looked up and was met with Danny’s beautiful brown eyes. “I-I hope that the new baby… Has your eyes,” Julian began as he moved so he could be closer to Danny’s face, “because you get the pleasure of always looking at my eyes with Bradley… But I want to pleasure of always looking into your eyes.”

Danny blushed and rolled his eyes. “You’re too flirty,” Danny chuckled as he lifted Jules’ hand off of him and to his face, so it was effectively cupping his cheek.

“Nah, Bubs, you’re just too sweet.”

It wasn’t until two months later that Danny first had side effects of pregnancy. One night, around midnight, Julian woke up to the sound of something moving around downstairs. He darted up from the bed and looked over for Danny, but Danny wasn’t there. He sighed as he slid out of the bed and walked out of their room and down the steps.

“Dola,” Julian asked as he squinted his eyes as he shuffled into the lit up kitchen. Danny was standing at the stove with his muscular back to Julian. There was a white mixing bowl sitting on the counter next to the stove and a plate in front of it.

“Oh,” Danny began as he turned around and yawned, “Hey Jules.”

Julian sighed and walked closer to Danny. “What are you doing in here this late, Bubs,” he asked as he moved to stand next to the dark-haired man. He looked over to see pancakes being made.

“I uh… I just kinda wanted,” Danny paused as he flipped one of the pancakes, “pancakes. I woke up hungry… So… Here I am.”

Julian sighed and moved so he could lean back against the counter with his arms crossed over his bare chest and look at Danny. “You scared the shit out of me. I heard sounds coming from down here and then I realized you weren't in bed next to me,” Julian explained as he watched Danny stare down at the pancakes with hungry eyes. “Damn Dola, you haven’t looked at me like that for weeks!”

Danny looked up at Julian through his long dark lashes with a small smile playing on his lips. “Sorry,” he apologized, “It’s just… Man… Pancakes and Nutella sound so good… Too bad we don’t have Nutella. I supposed I’ll just have to make a trip to the grocery store with Brad while you’re at practice.” Danny shrugged. 

“You don’t have to,” Julian told Danny as he pushed himself off the counter and moved so he was behind Danny with his hands grasping Danny’s hips and his chin resting on Danny’s shoulder. “I can just pick some up on the way back from practice if you’d like, in fact just text me everything you want. Today’s practice is an early practice… So… I should be back home by ten.”

Danny nodded against Julian as he moved to pick up the plate on the counter. He flipped the four, rather large, pancakes onto it and then turned the stove off. Julian let go of Danny and let Danny move so he could grab whatever he needed. He watched as Danny grabbed the bottle of syrup from the cupboard and then grabbed the butter from the table. “Are you eating all of those,” Julian asked with an eyebrow raised as he watched Danny lather each pancake with both syrup and butter.

Danny stopped doing what he was doing and looked like a deer in headlights when he looked up at Julian. “Well yeah… I mean… Do you want one? Cuz you can have one if you want,” Danny offered with raised eyebrows.

Julian chuckled and shook his head. “No, Bubs, that’s fine. I’m just… I’m gonna go back to bed. I’ve gotta get up for practice at six,” Julian informed as he began to walk out of the kitchen. “You can just put the dishes in the sink. I’ll wash them tomorrow before practice.” He didn’t wait for a response from Danny, just made his way back up the stairs and into their bedroom.

Once Julian was out of the kitchen, Danny devoured all four pancakes in nearly five minutes. He sighed as he leaned back, and placed his hands over his now bloated stomach. Danny looked down and kind of smiled at the sight. If he was being honest, he really couldn’t wait until people could tell he was pregnant by just looking at him.

He knew his time was coming-- that it’d be any day now. It really wasn't all that noticeable, but he was slowly beginning to lose the definition of his abs. Danny shook the thought out of his head and stood up with his plate and brought it over to the dishwasher. Then he grabbed the rest of the dishes and decided to wash them, because he may be pregnant… But that doesn’t mean he can’t wash dishes.

Once he was done he dried his hands off walked out the kitchen, then flicked the lights off. Still not ready to go back to bed, he made his way up the stairs and went into Bradley’s room. He quietly opened the door and leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest.

Bradley’s room was lit up by his nightlight. Danny smiled at the sight of the little figure lying there, eyes closed, mouth hung opened and chest moving up and down. He sighed as he moved further into the room and sat down in the dark gray wingback chair next to the crib. As he sat there he realized, before this baby was going to be here they’d be transitioning him into a bed and possibly potty training the little rascal.

After a few more minutes, Danny got up and made his way back to the bedroom where he slid in next to Julian who was dead to the world with his mouth hung open.

A few days later was when Julian made his first comment about Danny’s changing figure. Danny was in the bathroom brushing his teeth in his boxers as Julian was stepping out of the shower and wrapping a towel around his waist. Julian eyed Danny in the mirror as he moved forward to pick up his own toothbrush.

“You’re starting to show a bit, Bubs,” Julian commented before he popped his toothbrush in his mouth.

Danny nodded briefly as he placed his toothbrush into the toothbrush holder. “Yeah, I’ve actually been waiting for you to notice. My uh… My muscle definition has like gone to hell,” Danny replied in a quiet voice as he looked at his reflection in the mirror.

“I think...” Julian spit the toothpaste out of his mouth and placed his toothbrush down on the counter. He then moved over so he was behind Danny with his hands on Danny’s stomach and his chin was resting on Danny’s shoulder. “I think it looks good on you. Our baby is in there, Bubs.”

“Yeah,” Danny agreed as a smile found its way onto his lips. He turned around in Julian’s arms so they were facing each other and brought his arms up and put them behind Julian’s neck. Their fronts and foreheads were pressed together as they locked eyes. “Just think,” Danny said in a low tone, “soon… We won’t be able to be this close.”

Julian swallowed and brought both his hands down, so they were cupping Danny’s butt and pulled Danny into him. “I know, and I can’t wait.”

Danny closed the gap between their lips. When he pulled back and opened his eyes, he was met with Julian’s beautiful blue eyes. “I don’t want you to leave, Jules,” Danny informed in a small tone.

Julian sighed. “I-I know… It’ll only be like a day and a half,” Julian responded as he ducked his head placed his forehead in the crook of Danny’s neck.

Danny sighed. “I-I… Please be safe,” Danny mumbled as he laced one of his hands in Julian’s hair.

“I’ll try my hardest, Bubs,” Julian told Danny, his voice muffled. “Please take care of Bradley… And remember… Gisele is right down the street… If you need help, just call her.”

Danny nodded against Julian and sucked in a breath. “I love you.”

Julian lifted his head and looked back into Danny’s brown eyes. “I love you too, Bubs,” Julian whispered with lust in his blue eyes.

“Daddy,” Bradley’s voice screamed and followed with a cry before Danny could say anything else. Julian sighed and pulled away from Danny.

“I’ll be back,” Julian mumbled as he shuffled into the bedroom and quickly slid into boxers. He quickly made his way to Brad’s room where Brad was sitting in the crib crying his eyes out.

“Hey there, Bubs! What’s wrong,” Julian asked as he swooped in and picked Bradley up. Bradley cried into Julian’s shoulder.

“H-Hungry,” Brad cried as his hands came up to Julian’s chest in little-balled up fists.

“Papà will feed you in a few minutes, Bubs,” Julian told him in a soft tone as he bounced Bradley a bit. “Daddy has gotta get ready for work.”

“No! Want Daddy,” he sobbed as he began to lightly pound on Julian’s chest. Julian rubbed Brad’s back and began to walk out of the bedroom.

“Shh, Bubs,” he whispered as he made his way into his and Danny’s bedroom. When he got in there Danny had just pulled his shirt over his head and gave Julian a sympathetic look. Danny always knew how hard it was for Julian to leave Bradley behind on road trips, even when it was the both of them leaving.

“I’ll take him,” Danny whispered once he realized Julian was still in just his boxers. Julian nodded with sad eyes as he began to shift Bradley into Danny’s arms. Brad only began to cry harder as he wrapped his arms around Julian’s neck.

Julian sighed and rested Bradley against his hip again. “Hey, I’ll feed you bubs, but you’ve gotta let Daddy get dressed… Okay,” Julian moved his face away so he could lock eyes with the ones that were much like his own.

Brad’s blue eyes were red and puffy as he looked up at his father with a quivering lip. Bradley sniffled but nodded as more tears made their ways down his chubby pale skin. Julian sighed and shook his head as he shifted Bradley into Danny’s arms. Danny gave Julian a sympathetic look and placed a kiss on Julian’s cheek as Julian began to pull away.

Julian let out a shaky breath as he made his way over to the closet and pulled out a cream-colored sweater, and then found his black jeans. Then he pulled on his socks and shoes before shuffling back over to Danny who was still comforting the one and a half year old. “Come here, Bubs,” Julian mumbled as he swooped down and picked Bradley up off of Danny’s lap.

“Daddy,” Bradley kind of cheered as he wrapped his arms around Julian’s neck. “Wub!”

Julian stopped dead in his tracks. “What was that?”

Danny stopped right next to them and looked over at Bradley. “Hey Buddy, what’d you say,” Danny questioned as he looked at Bradley lovingly.

Bradley looked at Danny and then up to Julian and brought one of his hands up to Julian’s cheek. “Wub!”

Julian’s eyes went wide as he gave Danny a side glance. “We love you too, Bubs,” Julian informed as he leaned in and placed a light kiss on Brad’s forehead.

Danny smiled brightly and leaned over to place a kiss on his other cheek, but Bradley shook his head and raised his right hand to stop Danny from leaning in. “Daddy! Wub!”

“Don’t be silly! You love Papà, too,” Julian told him in a serious tone.

“No.” Bradley shook his head quickly.

Danny sighed and began to walk ahead of the two. Julian sucked in a breath, “That wasn’t very nice, Bradley. You hurt Papà’s feelings.”

Brad’s blue eyes looked up at Julian as he tilted his head, not completely understanding Jules. Julian sighed and began to make his way down the steps. When he got in the kitchen, Danny was cutting up a banana for Bradley.

Julian slid Brad into the high chair and sat down in front of him as Danny handed him the plate. Brad clapped his hands at the sight of the food. As Julian handed Brad each piece, one by one, he could feel Danny’s sad mood. When Julian looked up from their son, Danny was just sitting at the kitchen table with his forehead resting on the table while looking down at his phone.

“Daddy,” Bradley asked after a few minutes as he looked up at Julian with his big blue eyes.

“Yeah, Buddy,” he responded as he looked back at Brad with an eyebrow raised, “whats up?”

“No. Webe,” Brad demanded as a pout, much like Julians, found its way onto his chubby little face.

“I have to leave, Bud,” Julian told him as he let out a small sigh. He stood up and grabbed Brad from the high chair so they could make their way upstairs and get Bradley changed for the day.

“No!” Bradley’s lip began to quiver and his big blue eyes became watery. Julian sucked in a breath, knowing what was going to happen. The tears broke their barriers and Bradley began sobbing. “No! No! Noooo!”

Julian sighed as he sat down in the wingback chair in Brad’s room. “Bud, you need to chill out,” Julian whispered to him as he bounced Bradley up and down on his lap. “I’ll be back before you know it!”

After a few more minutes, Bradley calmed down and actually fell asleep. Julian slid him into his crib, placed a kiss on his forehead and slowly backed out of the room as he turned the lights off. When Julian got downstairs, Danny was still sitting at the table.

“Dola.” Julian tried to get Danny’s attention, but Danny just kept looking down. He sighed and moved to sit down at the table next to him. When he did, he placed his hand on Danny’s back and leaned in close. “Babe, you okay?”

When Danny looked up, he had watery eyes. “W-What do you think,” he asked as his voice cracked and tears began trailing down his cheeks. “H-He said he didn’t love me! What am I gonna do when he’s asking for you the next two days and you’re not here?!”

“He loves you, Danny! You don’t have to worry about that! He probably doesn’t really know the meaning of the word,” Julian informed as he gave Danny a sad look. 

“I-I just… Jules, I really don’t want you to go,” Danny confessed as he rubbed his eyes.

“You know I have to, Bubs,” Julian told him with a sigh. “I wish I could stay, trust me.”

“I-- Okay.”

***

Two days later, when Julian got home around midnight, Danny was fast asleep on the couch, with his arm left arm wrapped around Bradley who was tucked in on his side. Brad’s head was resting on Danny’s chest and his left arm resting just above Danny’s torso. The kitchen light was shining into the living room, so Julian could easily see the two. 

As Julian looked down at the two, he smiled. Danny’s red shirt was tight against his abdomen, where there was a clear bump, that had seemed to make a miraculous appearance in two days. Julian just had to pull out his phone and snap a quick picture of the two. 

Next, Julian moved over to the side of the couch and kneeled down, where he placed a hand on Danny’s stomach and placed a kiss in the corner of Danny’s hung opened mouth. Danny’s mouth closed and his eyes opened almost instantly. The brown eyes met blue ones, the couple smiled at each other. “Hi Jules,” Danny whispered sleepily.

“Hey babe,” Julian said back. “You’re really looking good.” He began to rub his thumb over Danny’s protruding abdomen, right over his belly button.

Danny rolled his eyes but smiled a bit. “Yeah, I woke up this morning… And my muscles like gave out on me I guess,” Danny informed as he blinked sleepily.

“I like it,” Julian responded as he leaned in and placed another kiss at the corner of Danny’s mouth.

“Do you?” Danny asked as he looked down at Julian’s hand on his almost too tight shirt. Julian nodded once Danny’s brown eyes looked back up at him. “I’m going to need new clothes soon. I tried on like three different shirts before I settled on this one… And don’t even get me started on jeans. They fucking fit me yesterday, a little snug… But today… they wouldn’t even button.”

Julian’s blue eyes quickly darted to the still sleeping child plastered to Danny’s side but then quickly looked back at Danny. “We can go tomorrow after practice if you’d like? Or Tuesday, since that’s my off day.”

“Tuesday is probably best,” Danny mumbled, but then yawned as he looked at Julian sleepily.

“Okay… We should get you two to bed,” Julian commented as he moved to stand up.

Danny nodded and shifted the sleeping Bradley in his arms so he could pick him up. Julian reached out for Brad. “I don’t want you overdoing anything,” Julian told Danny as Bradley shifted was into his arms and his head was resting on Julian’s chest.

Danny rolled his eyes as he began to walk toward the kitchen. Julian smiled at the slight curve that was present on Danny’s stomach. “I’m pregnant, not incapable, Jules,” Danny shot back, “What do you think I'll be doing when you’re not here next week a or not here three weeks from now?”

Julian sighed as Danny flicked off the light and they made their way up the stairs. When they got upstairs, Julian slid into Brad’s room while Danny shuffled straight to their room. Julian laid Brad down and placed a kiss on his forehead before he stood up straight again.

When Julian walked into their room, Danny was sitting up in bed looking at his phone. “I didn’t mean to offend you, you know,” Julian informed as he pulled his shirt over his head and eyed Danny.

Danny let out a sigh and nodded. “I know… I’m sorry… I’m just… Moody,” Danny admitted as he leaned over and plugged his phone in, then laid back on the bed.

Julian nodded and slid his sweatpants off. “I understand,” he replied as he slid into the bed on his stomach. He instantly gravitated toward Danny’s torso and placed a hand on the warm skin. “I love you like this… You know they aren’t kidding when they talk about pregnancy glow?”

“It’s so weird,” Danny began, “I’ve been able to feel her move. But like, you can’t feel it externally. I guess that’s normal for four months though.”

“You think it’s a girl,” Julian asked as he looked up and raised an eyebrow.

Danny nodded as he placed his hand on Julian’s. “Yeah… It’s just… a feeling.”

Julian moved both of their hands away from Danny’s abdomen and moved in closer. He placed a small kiss to the side of Danny’s belly button. “Hi little one,” he whispered, barely pulling his lips from Danny’s skin. “I’m your Daddy. Papà says he can feel you moving, please don’t keep him up any later than I normally would.”

Danny chuckled and rolled his eyes as a blush found its way to his face. “Shut up Jules,” he demanded as he brought his right hand up and lightly smacked Julian in the back of the head.

Jules looked up with a cheeky smile before he moved his attention back down to Danny’s small bump. “I love you, Papà loves you, you’re going to have a big brother that loves you, and you’re gonna have like a whole football team to watch after you,” Julian proclaimed and placed another kiss on Danny’s warm skin.

“Jules?” Danny asked after a minute.

“Yeah, Bubs,” Julian asked as his bright blue eyes looked up to meet Danny’s brown ones.

“Let’s got to sleep. I’m tired… And I miss being in your arms,” Danny informed as sleepiness began to find its way to his face.

“Okay,” Julian mumbled after a second. He moved so Danny could lean back into his chest. “Love you.” Julian leaned forward and placed a small kiss on Danny’s temple before he brought his right hand up and over Danny’s waist, so it could rest on the slow-growing bump.

***

The days whipped by, before they knew it Danny’s birthday passed, as well as Thanksgiving, and before they knew it Danny was just a few days short of five months and it was Christmas Eve. Danny was stipping from his boxer’s so he could take a shower when he caught sight of himself in the mirror.

“Awe fuck,” he grumbled as he moved closer to the mirror to see the long, squiggly purple-ish- red-ish line on his waist. He moved to his left arm around be draped over his stomach and he could touch it. He groaned. Yep, definitely real and not just his imagination.

He had a feeling this day would come, his skin in the past two weeks had felt extremely tight and it made it hard to breathe at times, but he wasn’t expecting it to happen right at Christmas time.

“Ugh,” Danny grumbled as he rolled his eyes and began to examine his other parts in the mirror. He let out a huff as he spotted another, just to the right side of his belly button. He rolled his brown eyes. “You’re doing this for a reason, Dola… It'll all be worth it in the end.”

Julian came strutting into the bathroom in a pair of Puma shorts and socks. “You, okay Bubs? You’re talking to yourself,” Julian noted as stopped and looked at Danny standing in front of the mirror naked.

“I’ve got fucking stretch marks,” Danny complained as he whipped around to look at Julian with wide brown eyes. “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me!”

Julian chuckled. “That’s apart of being pregnant, Bubs,” Julian inquired after a minute as he tilted his head to the side.

“You wouldn’t know that,” Danny quickly shot back as he shook his head and looked down at his hand placed on the top of the swell of his stomach.

Julian sighed. “I know… I’m sorry,” his voice became a lot softer and understanding. “What I mean is… It’s part of the joy of bringing a child into this world. It’ll all be worth it in the end.”

Danny sighed, refusing to look up at Julian. He could hear Julian let out a sigh of his own before Julian appeared in his peripheral vision. Danny looked up with slightly watery eyes. “Jules,” Danny’s voice cracked as he met Julian’s blue eyes.

Julian instantly pulled Danny into him. Danny’s protruding stomach lightly hit Julian’s muscular one. “It’s okay, Dola. I promise.”

Danny sniffled and nodded into Julian’s neck. He felt like the luckiest man alive to have Julian.

***

The next morning, Danny woke up with a little lower back pain. “Ugh,” he mumbled as he shifted in the bed and moved to his side, so he was facing Julian’s side. When he reached over for Julian’s warmth, Julian wasn’t there. “What the fuck, Jules?”

Danny let out a huff and brought his knees up as high as he possibly could in attempt to stretch his back out and ease the pain. He slowly but surely fell asleep.

When Danny woke back up there was a new fuzzy blanket draped over him and a small figure curled up next to him with a hand on his stomach. He smiled at the sight of Bradley’s dark hair all messy and drool trailing out of his mouth. Danny shifted so he was able to lean back against the pillows and adjust Bradley so he was partially sitting up, but leaning against Danny’s stomach a bit. 

Bradley stirred and slowly opened his eyes. “Hi Bud,” he whispered at the sight of the beautiful blue eyes looking up at him.

“Papà,” Bradley mumbled and moved so he was sitting up on his own. “Brudder,” he added as he placed his small hand on the side of Danny’s stomach.

Danny smiled sleepishly, ran his hand through Bradley’s dark hair. “It may be your sister too,” Danny informed as his smile got bigger.

“Brudder,” Brad added again, this time with a small giggle at the end. He began to run his hand up and down Danny’s taught skin.

Danny did nothing but smile down at his son and shake his head. “Why don’t we head downstairs and see what Daddy is up to?”

“Yeah!” Danny sighed and got out of bed, then swooped down at grabbed Bradley up in his arms.

Slowly, but surely the two made it down the stairs. Julian was standing at the stove with nothing but shorts on as he cooked. “Daddy,” Bradley cheered and clapped as soon as he saw Julian. Jules turned around with a smile on his face and a spatula in his hand.

“Hey, buddy! Hi Babe,” he greeted as the Danny moved to stand next to him. He leaned over and placed a kiss on both their cheeks. “Merry Christmas, Bubs.”

“Merry Christmas,” Danny mumbled as he placed a kiss over Julian’s stubble. “Love you.”

“I love you, too,” Julian informed with a smile. “Why don’t you two sit down at the table and I’ll be right over with these scrambled eggs.

Danny nodded. “That sounds great, Babe… Can… Can you take out the pickles, too, please,” Danny requested as he put Bradley into the high chair and then slid into a chair himself.

Julian rolled his eyes as he brought a plate over with scrambled eggs, and a smaller one for Brad so they could cool down. “You have some weird cravings. Pickles and Eggs? Dola, that’s really weird.”

Danny chuckled and brought one of his hands down so he could rub at his bump. “I know… But if you really think about it… there's like vinegar… That’s kinda like ketchup and eggs!”

“Ugh,” Julian complained as he placed a jar of pickles in front of the dark haired man, “that’s disgusting too! How the heck do you do that?!”

“I don't know,” Danny paused for a second, “How do you dip your strawberries in caramel?! Now that's weird, especially since you’re not pregnant.”

Julian shook his head as he sat down in front of Bradley and picked some eggs up on a spoon, then moved it toward Brad’s lips. Bradley reached out for the spoon and tried to feed himself, but Jules wouldn't let go of the utensil. Both men shook their heads at the anxiousness of their almost two-year-old.

Twenty minutes later, the three of them were sitting in the living room opening Christmas presents. Just as Bradley was tearing apart a present, a pain shot through Danny’s back and he leaned on Julian for support as his face screwed up.

Julian put his arm around Danny and turned his attention away from Bradley. “You okay, Bubs,” he questioned as he looked down at Danny with caring blue eyes.

“I-I,” the pain subsided, “yeah… Just a little back pain. It’s all good.”

Jules gave him an unsure look. “You sure, Bubs?”

Danny only nodded.

Later that night they were getting ready for bed when Danny went to the bathroom, and there was blood in his urine. “Jules,” Danny called as he looked down at the red color in the toilet.

“What,” Julian shouted from the bedroom, no doubt already laying in bed.

“C-Can you please come here,” Danny said in a much weaker voice this time. His breathing became uneven.

“What’s up,” Julian asked as he shuffled in, but stopped as he saw Danny standing in front of the toilet.

“I-I… We should… I think we should go to the hospital or call Ashley,” Danny mumbled as he placed a hand on his stomach protectively.

Julian’s eyes went wide at Danny’s response. “Why!? What’s wrong,” Julian questioned as he moved forward.

“Bl-blood” was all Danny could let out before his breathing really became uncontrollable. As he sucked in a breath another pain shot through him and he flinched.

“Danny,” Julian exclaimed as he moved forward and wrapped his arms around Danny. “Okay, we’ll… Oh god… Let’s get you dressed.” He leaned forward and flushed the toilet before he closed the seat.

He slowly escorted Danny into the bedroom and had him sit down on the bed. Once Danny was dressed, Julian got him down the stairs and into the car, then ran back in to grab Bradley. Bradley surprisingly didn’t wake up at all.

When they got to the hospital, the two were instantly brought into a room where Ashley was waiting for them. “Hey guys, as soon as the hospital called I came right away,” she greeted as she stood up and helped Danny over to the bed, since Julian also had Brad in his arms. “There was blood in your urine, you said?” She received a nod from Danny. 

“Y-Yeah… I woke up with a,” Danny laid back on the bed as another pain found its way through his lower back, “with a backache… And… And have had shooting pains throughout the day… And when I went to the bathroom before bed, there was blood in my pee.”

Ashley nodded calmly. “Alright… I'm going to perform an ultrasound,” she informed as she began her normal routine.

Once she was done examining the situation she turned to the worried Danny and very worried Julian. “Okay, so I’ll start with the fact that the baby is completely fine,” she began, which caused Danny to sigh with relief and Julian slouch a bit. “However, it looks as if you’re passing kidney stones. You should be fine, but we’ll need to keep you here for at least twelve hours so we can monitor everything.”

“Is there something you can do for the pain,” Julian spoke up as he looked over at Danny who was carefully wiping the gel off his bump. Danny looked up at Ashley and nodded in agreement.

“Well,” Ashley sighed, “I can’t really give you much… But I can get you a heating pad for the pain. Also… As protocol… I’m gonna need you to change into a hospital gown.”

Danny sighed and nodded. “I guess that’s better than nothing.” He pulled his shirt over his bump.

“Okay, so we’ll get you into room 187. I’ll get you a gown and a heating pad,” she informed Danny as she put away all of the equipment. “Julian, do you and Bradley need a cot to sleep on.”

Before Julian could respond Danny did for him. “No,” he told Ashley, which earned him a look from Julian. “Go home, Jules. You need your rest and so does he. You have a game tomorrow.”

Julian shook his head. “No way in hell am I leaving you here alone,” Julian budded in as he Bradley began shifting in his arms.

Danny shook his head and stood up. “No Jules. I’m fine… We’ll be fine,” Danny inquired as he took a step forward and placed a hand on Julian’s forearm.

Julian sucked in a breath and held it a second before nodding. “O-Okay… But if you need anything… Then please do not hesitate to call me,” Julian whispered as he leaned forward to kiss Danny on the lips.

Danny nodded and kissed him back. “I won’t, babe. I love you,” Danny mumbled.

“I love you, too. I-I’ll see you tomorrow,” Julian replied, defeated. His blue eyes showed sadness.

“I’ll be fine, Jules,” he reassured as he grabbed Julian’s free hand and placed it over the biggest part of his swelling stomach. Julian smiled and leaned in for another kiss.

That night was one of the longest nights Danny has felt like he’s ever been through. His back was killing him, and the baby wouldn’t stop moving. One of the great things about the night, though, was the fact that when Danny put his hand on his stomach to hopefully get the baby to stop moving, he could feel the baby kick for the first time.

He eventually cried himself to sleep, to the fact that his baby was alright.

***

Danny would be lying if he said he wasn’t happy the Patriots losing to the Steelers in the second round of the playoffs, because he was well into his sixth month, almost seventh and things were beginning to get harder to do.

He and Bradley were resting on the couch watching Clifford when Julian came into the house that night after the game.

“Hi Jules,” Danny mumbled softly as he turned his head, so he wouldn’t have to completely turn his body, nor bother Bradley.

Julian let out a long huff and dropped his bag by the door, then shuffled into the kitchen. Danny looked down at a half-lidded Bradley with his head leaning against his stomach, where the baby was slightly kicking. “Papà’s gotta get up bud,” Danny whispered and began to move away from Bradley.

Bradley sleepily nodded and mumbled a ‘kay’ as Danny shifted a pillow under his head. As Danny got up his back popped, which to his surprise felt really good, but then he realized his black sweatshirt was riding up on him, so he pulled it down. He slowly made his way into the kitchen and grumbled. His feet were about two sizes bigger and none of his slippers fit him.

“Babe?” he asked at the sight of Julian leaning against the counter, watching coffee drip into a cup. 

Julian didn't say a word as his muscles tensed and he clenched his jaw. He refused to look up, only stared at the coffee.

“Jules?” Danny questioned as he moved in closer and placed both his hands at the top of his bump. His sweatshirt began to ride up again- he just couldn’t win. 

“What,” Julian spat through clenched teeth.

“Can you please look at me,” Danny asked as he lifted one hand off himself so he could lean into the countertop with his palm flat.

Julian swallowed, but then turned his head after a few seconds. His blue eyes were stone cold, which made Danny’s heart begin to pump. “What do you want,” Julian shot at him with a blank face.

Danny let out a huff. “I know… I know losses are tough… Especially playoff losses… But Jules,” Danny began as he shot Julian a sad look with his brown eyes.

“Just… For fuck’s sake, Danny,” Julian bellowed as he stood straight up, “Leave me the fuck alone. I don’t need to hear shit from you right now.”

“Julian, please… You… You shouldn’t be,” Danny wanted to finish his thought about how Julian shouldn’t drink coffee after like seven, because he can never fall asleep. “Just… Nevermind.” Danny sighed.

Julian pushed himself off the counter and rolled his eyes. “That’s fucking right. Just shut up and leave,” Julian sneered and brought the hot, black coffee up to his mouth.

Danny was going to turn around and tend to their son’s sleepiness in the other room, but stopped and narrowed his deep brown eyes at Julian. “Excuse me?” His tone was cold.

“You fucking heard me. Leave me the fuck alone,” Julian mumbled as he scowled. “Just. Fucking go.”

Danny squinted his eyes and took a step toward Julian. “You,” he took another step forward, his bump was against Julian’s abdomen and his finger was poking into his chest, “will not speak to me that way. I get that you just fucking lost a fucking playoff game… But… Fuck you Julian. Seriously, I came in here to check on you and make sure you were okay… And now you fucking do this? Go fuck yourself Julian… And you can have the couch tonight.”

Danny shoved at Julian’s chest and then slowly made his way out of the kitchen. Julian didn’t move, he was in shock… All of the hatred he had from the loss instantly flew out the window as he watched Danny practically waddle out of the room.

After a minute, he let out a long sigh and shook his head at himself. The loss had bothered him more than any other loss did. He wanted to win it all this year, for Danny, for Bradley… For the new baby.

Julian walked out of the kitchen, left the coffee on the counter and turned the light off. When he walked into the living room, Brad was fast asleep and the TV was on commercials. He turned the TV off and then swooped Brad up into his arms so he could bring his quick growing son upstairs to his room.

When he was done tucking Brad in he left the room quietly and walked towards his and Danny’s bedroom. The door was locked, and his pillow and a blanket were sitting outside the door. He sighed as he leaned down and picked them off the floor, but he knocked on the door, in hopes Danny would open up.

He could hear sniffles on the other side of the door once he knocked. The bed shifted, and then there were feet padding across the floor before the door was opened. Julian’s eyes softened as he saw Danny’s sad appearance. His eyes were red and his hand was resting on his bare stomach as he looked at Julian.

“I-I’m so-,” Julian was quickly cut off by Danny’s hand connecting with his cheek. Julian gasped and brought his hand up to where Danny had just slapped him.

“God, you’re such an asshole,” Danny cried as he wiped a few tears away. “Leave me the fuck alone, now. Have a fucking dandy night, Julian.” With that, the door was slammed shut and locked.

Julian sighed and closed his eyes, before he opened them and made his way downstairs to sleep on the couch.

At about three in the morning, Julian woke up to a light on in the kitchen and the microwave going. He sighed and kicked his feet over the side of the couch, then stood up. When he walked into the kitchen the microwave began to beep, and Danny was reaching in to grab a mug out.

“Bubs,” Julian whispered as he walked in and squinted at Danny’s figure.

Danny turned to look at him. Julian smiled at the sight of Danny, love handles, bump, and all. “What do you want, Jules,” Danny questioned as he took a sip of the substance in his mug.

“I uh,” Julian eyed Danny’s right hand, rubbing at the red-stretched out underpart of his bump, “I’m sorry for snapping at you. I really didn’t mean to.”

Danny sighed and sat down on one of the island stools, then motioned for Julian to sit next to him. “I-I overreacted, too, Jules,” Danny admitted as his brown eyes flashed with an apologetic look.

“No- I had no reason to snap on you… You had one to snap at me… I’m sorry… I just,” Julian trailed off as he tried to hold back the hot tears that were sitting at the back of his eyes.

Danny sighed and leaned over so he could place a hand on Julian’s bareback. “What’s wrong bubs? I know it isn’t just the loss.”

“I miss having you out there, Dola,” Julian spit out as he put his face in his hands. “I know it sounds stupid to say it now… But… I’m sorry… I just… It really hit me after the loss.”

Danny nodded in agreement. “It’s alright, Jules… I know what you’re talking about. I missed you a lot when you were unable to play…” He began to sniffle. “I love you.”

Julian moved and pulled Danny into a hug, with his hands grazing Danny’s stomach. “I love you, too… Way more than you could ever know.”

“Julian,” Danny asked over Julian’s shoulder after a minute.

“Yeah, Bubs,” Julian responded as he pulled back so he could look into Danny’s brown eyes.

“C-Can we go to bed… And can you rub some lotion on my skin… I-It’s been so itchy lately… And I just can’t,” Danny requested with big brown eyes.

“Sure we can.” The two of them moved to get up, but Julian quickly swept Danny off his feet and began to carry him bridal style.

“Jules,” Danny complained as he nuzzled into Julian’s chest anyway, “You’re gonna hurt your back!”

“Who cares? You move too slow now, this is the most effective way to get you up the stairs… Speaking of which, how are your ankles doing?”

Danny sighed as Julian lowered him onto the bed. “Okay… It’s mostly the skin… The baby is growing too fast… Ugh! Why won't you let me find out what the gender is!? It’s not fair! I’m the one carrying her!”

“Because,” Julian crawled up on the bed with some lotion, “when I was the one pregnant… You were the one who practically screamed yes to wanting to know the gender before I could get out a full answer!”

Danny rolled his eyes and shook his head as he leaned back on the bed which made his stomach look even bigger. Julian squirted some lotion on his hand and then began to rub it into Danny’s tight, red skin. “You’re getting so big, Dola,” Julian observed as he looked up over Danny’s stomach to make eye contact with the brown-eyed man.

“I know… And I’ve still got like two fucking months of this,” Danny complained as he shook his head.

Julian leaned down and placed a small kiss on the bump. “I can never get used to it kicking,” Julian whispered as the baby began to kick at his touch. Danny just hummed in agreement.

“Jules,” Danny began as he put his arms behind his head and leaned back more. Julian’s blue eyes popped up over his stomach. “Do you think labor is really all that bad?”

Julian shrugged and sat up. “Honestly, I’ve no clue. I’m glad that I didn’t have to go through that. I mean it can’t be that bad if people who have babies naturally have more than one kid.”

Danny chuckled, which made his bump bounce. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” There was a small smile playing on his face.

One thing that stood out the next month was when most of the team saw Danny for the first time since he had a very small slope to his abdomen. The only one who has seen him consistently otherwise was Rob.

The couple decided to have a get together before most of the guys left town. Everyone was already sitting in the private room of the restaurant that they reserved. Julian was wearing sweats and a sweatshirt to make sure Danny wouldn’t feel left out. Danny refused to wear pregnancy jeans because they’re ‘too awkward fitting’. In the text that Julian has sent out to everyone he had stressed at least three times that sweatpants and jeans were totally okay-- and luckily when they walked in, they found out everyone had followed his directions.

“Wow! Dola! Looking good,” Tom was the first to speak up when he waddled into the room with one hand on his bump.

Danny shot him a small smile and questioned why he let Julian talk him into this. Next thing he knew, he was being surrounded by just about everyone begging to touch his bump and see if the baby was kicking.

Rob and Julian quickly ushered everyone away so he wouldn’t be so overwhelmed. When Danny sat down, at yes, the head of the table, it seemed like thousands of eyes were staring at him.

“Uh his guys, I’m sorry for being in like… Hiding… I really didn’t mean to,” Danny greeted as he looked around, trying not to lock eyes with anyone.

The whole team began to laugh. As it turned out, Julian being the little fucker he is, planned it as a baby shower… Where they were showered with tons and tons of gifts. So many in fact that Rob had to bring some home in his truck. Some of the guys also felt bad about Bradley not getting anything, so they threw in a few gifts for him.

Danny sighed as he leaned back into the passenger seat. “You didn’t have to do, Jules,” he mumbled in a sleepy voice.

“Yeah, I did… I love you…” Danny drifted off before he could respond.

***

At the beginning of March, Danny had his last appointment with Ashley before their little one would be there. Unfortunately, two weeks beforehand Danny was put on bedrest, due to shortness of breath and Braxton Hicks, so he was unable to be in his own bed, or get up to go to Ashley’s.

Fortunately, though, Ashley was able to bring her equipment to them and perform the check up in their first-floor guest room, where Danny and Julian were rooming until the baby was born.

“Hello Danny,” Ashley greeted as she walked in with Julian to see Danny and Bradley lying on the bed reading a book. 

“Hi, Ashley… Bradley, can you say hi to Ashley,” Danny asked as he leaned the children's book on his big bump. 

Bradley nodded a bit. “Hi Ashwey,” he greeted but hid his face into Danny’s bare side.

“Hi Bradley, how are you today,” she asked as she sat down in the chair on the left side of the bed.

Bradley popped up and flashed his blue eyes. “Good!” 

Julian smiled and crawled into the bed with his favorite men. “How are you feeling, Danny,” Ashley asked as she pulled out the infamous gel. 

“Really tired… But really restless. I’m getting sick of being in bed all day,” Danny confessed with a sigh as he placed a hand at the very top of his swell.

Ashley nodded. “I did tell you that if you took it easy you could sit in the living room, too,” she pointed out as she turned the machine on.

Danny nodded and shot Julian a side glance. “I know that… Bubs here, however, won't even let me get up by myself to go to the bathroom half the time,” Danny informed as he rolled his eyes.

Ashley laughed. “Not too much longer, Danny. Just take it a day at a time… And please don’t over do it for Bradley’s birthday,” she requested as she began to rub the gel around.

“Are you sure that you still don’t want to know the gender,” she questioned as he looked back at the three sitting on the bed.

Julin rapidly shook his head no and Danny rolled his eyes. “I swear to god, just let her tell us it’s a girl,” Danny exclaimed as he looked at Julian.

Julian shook his head, and Ashley smirked at the two. “Only about three weeks and you can find out, Danny!”

Danny groaned.

“Now, do we need to talk about Braxton Hicks again? Or do you still remember the protocol,” she asked as they looked back at her. Both men nodded. “No closer than fifteen minutes.”

“Uh, I’ve got a question,” Danny informed as he shifted a bit and she pulled the wand off of him. She nodded at him. “Am I a little bigger than most people? I feel absolutely huge.” 

“A little, but not much. You should still be able to carry until your due date, do you want me to schedule you for March 28th,” she asked as she pulled out her laptop and began to look at the calendar. “The 28th is a Wednesday, is that okay?” Both nodded in agreement. “Okay, how does ten sound? Be there at nine?”

Danny sucked in a breath. “Sounds great.”

‘Oh, shit’ was all Danny could think, because the plan was now all set in motion… Only the matter of time.

***  
Friday, March 23rd at 3:42 in the morning Danny woke up to a shooting pain in his back, but disregarded it as a Braxton hick. He sighed and rolled over to his other side then drifted back off.  
4:31 was the next time a pain hit him. “Fuck,” he mumbled and rubbed at the skin stretched to the extreme. “Ugh.” He rolled to his side and looked at the clock. “Only 4:30.” He laid back for another 45 minutes before it happened, only this time, the pain was so much worse than it was the last two times. “Five- fucking- seventeen,” he grumbled as he threw his head back and his whole body tensed.

“Huh,” Julian’s sleepy voice asked from next to him.

“J-Just Braxton Hicks,” Danny responded as he leaned back and closed his eyes.

Julian was suddenly much more awake when he looked over at Danny. “Dola? You sure you’re okay,” Julian questioned in an unsure tone.

“Yeah, of course, I am,” Danny informed with a sigh as he began to rub at his skin a bit more.

“I-I… Danny, you’re dripping sweat… When I had mine… I wasn’t in as much intense pain as it seems you’re going through!”

Danny sighed and closed his eyes. Julian shook his head and looked over at the clock… There was no way he was gonna sleep until he knew Danny was okay. 43 minutes later, Danny jolted awake to another pain shooting through his stomach and body.

“Okay, yep. We’re going to the hospital… And you cannot complain about it,” Julian informed as he slid out of bed and pulled on sweats and a shirt. He helped Danny get out of the bed next, who surprisingly wasn’t even complaining.

Julian escorted Danny to the car and helped him into the seat, before they pulled the seatbelt over Danny’s stomach. “I’ll be right back… I’m gonna let Rob know we’re leaving… and I’m gonna call Ashley.”

Danny furrowed his eyebrows. “Let Rob know? Don’t you have to call him?”

Julian shook his head. “Remember, he’s been staying here for a week now? Just in case?”

Danny’s brown eyes opened wide. “Oh shit… Pregnancy brain.” He let Julian slam the door shut and sat there, waiting for Julian to come back and drive them to the hospital.

As he sat there, the lingering pain in his lower stomach, he took in a deep breath. “I’m not fucking ready… Holy fuck… Oh god.”

Before he knew it he saw Julian jogging out of the house with a large smile on his face. When he got into the car he quickly buckled and shifted it into drive. “Let’s go have us a baby! WOO,” Julian exclaimed with a small fist pump into the air.

Danny rolled his eyes as he placed a hand on his stomach. “I can’t wait to be skinny again. I just miss my muscles,” he grumbled as he ran one hand through his sweat-drenched chair.

Forty-five minutes later, Ashley was rushing them into the operation room, to deliver the baby via c-section, because it was in everyone’s best interest to have it be done that way.

Julian looked down at Danny’s brown eyes, a smile on his face, no doubt, under the mask he had on. Danny’s brown eyes were calm, much more calm than Julian was when it was time for Bradley to come.

“Alright, Danny… Can you… Can you feel this,” Ashley called from the other side of the green curtain that was up.

“No.” Danny shook his head as he looked up into Julian’s eyes and gripped his hand tighter.

A few minutes later, and a few things said by Ashley later, it sounded like they were ready to officially get the baby out. “Y-You can watch if you want,” Danny told Julian who was still studying his face carefully.

Julian shook his head. “I don’t want to know what was done to me. It’s bad enough that you watched what was happening to me,” Julian explained.

Before Danny could respond the sound of a baby screaming filled up the room. “Holy fuck,” Danny let out as he looked up into Julian’s calming blue eyes.

“Julian, would you like to cut the cord,” Ashley asked as he held the baby up. Julian quickly obliged before the still crying baby was placed into Danny’s arms. “It’s a healthy baby boy! Congratulations!” 

As much as Danny wanted to complain about it not being a girl, he couldn’t. He just cried as he looked down at the little blonde baby in his arms-- his baby was finally here.

A few minutes later some nurses took the baby to do some routine check-ups, so it gave Danny time to fall asleep.

When Danny woke up Julian was laying on the hospital bed next to him, with his head on Danny’s chest. “Jules,” Danny whispered as he dragged his hands through Julian’s hair.

“Hmm,” Julian asked as he slowly opened his eyes and met Danny’s brown eyes. “Hi, Bubs… I love you.”

“Love you, too,” Danny leaned down and placed a kiss on Julian’s lips. He turned his head to see the baby laying in bassinet next to the bed. “Can… Can you bring him over here?”

Julian nodded and slipped out of the bed. He leaned down and lifted the sleeping baby in his arms. Julian couldn’t help but smile down at the little one, he could already tell that he had Danny’s nose.

“Hi there, I love you,” he whispered as he placed a small kiss on the babies nose. He moved over and shifted the sleeping baby into Danny’s arms.

“He’s beautiful, Jules… He’s just… He’s perfect,” Danny mumbled without looking up from the baby.

Julian nodded and sat next to Danny so he could look down at that baby as well. The three sat in silence before Danny looked up at Julian with an amused look in his eyes. “Jules?”

“Hmm,” he hummed as he looked down at the baby.

“We spent so much time arguing what the gender would be that we never picked a name,” Danny informed with a small smile.

Julian chuckled and ran a hand down his face. “You’re right. Oh god! We kinda just settled on a name right away with Bradley.”

“Well, you were crabby and just went with whatever I wanted,” Danny replied as he looked up into Julian’s blue eyes. “You can pick this time… Within reason.”

“Well screw you… Cuz I love the name Daniel… And I ain't about naming the kid after you… But… What about… Dylan,” Julian asked after a minute.

“Okay… And… Since… Brad has my middle name… Dylan Francis?”

“I love it,” Julian mumbled as he ducked his head and placed a little kiss on Danny’s forehead. “I love you.”

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope y'all liked it! What type of Dola/ Jules story should I write next? 
> 
> Thanks!


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